Sermon in Rockford 12.02.2012

Grace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Let us join our hearts in opening prayer and thanksgiving.

Dear Heavenly Father, this evening we gather before your Holy Word. Lord, with this prayer in our hearts that you would again feed us and open your Word unto us. Grant us that which we need for this moment. That our undying souls would be nourished on this earthly journey. And we would be strengthened to continue the endeavor of a child of God, walking through this wilderness with that hope and believing upon that promise of one day receiving our reward to enter heaven's home with you.

Continue to let the light of your kingdom shine in the world around us so that none would be lost but all could come unto the hearing of your Word, to see that beautiful light, to feel its warmth, and to desire to also walk according to your ways and believing upon your promise and the redemption work of your Son.

We thank you for your great and abundant blessings of this day, how you have already fed us, and pray that you would protect us as we leave from here and begin a new week in this temporal life. Above all, we thank you for your love, the love that you have shown unto us when you have granted unto us your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. All of this we pray in his name. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.

This evening, I will read from the last chapter of the book of Romans, chapter 16, verses 1 through 24. The words are as follows in Jesus' name.

I commend unto you Phoebe, our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Centuria, that ye receive her in the Lord as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need for you. For she hath been a succorer of many and of myself also.

Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus, who have for my life laid down their own necks, unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house.

Salute my well-beloved Epaenetus, who is the first fruits of Achaia under Christ. Salute Mary, who bestowed much labor on us.

Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

Greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord. Salute Urbanus, our helper in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved.

Salute Apelles, approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus' household.

Salute Herodion, my kinsman. Greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, which are in the Lord.

Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which labored much in the Lord.

Salute Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.

Salute Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren which are with them.

Salute Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints which are with them.

Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you.

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them.

For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good works and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad, therefore, on your behalf, but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good and simple concerning evil.

And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Timotheus, my work fellow, and Lucius and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you.

I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.

Gaius, mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth you.

Erastus, the chamberlain, and of the city, saluteth you.

And Quartus, a brother.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Amen.

Perhaps this seems like a bit of an unusual text, to read all of these names as Paul wrote them in his letter to the Romans as he ended this epistle. But actually, for me, it has often been a very touching portion because it speaks to us how, with such love, Paul remembered these co-workers, these brothers and sisters in faith in Rome.

And so I thought this evening we could visit about greeting, how we send our greetings to our brothers and sisters in faith, remembering those who live in faraway places, and also that precious special greeting which we have for each other as God's children when we say God's peace to one another.

This week we had in our services a precious message of remembering the beauty of our home congregations. And yet we also visited in our Bible class how in times past there have been those difficult times of spiritual strife, and how the enemy of souls has deceived many to follow false doctrine, false faiths, to leave the true living faith and the kingdom of God.

And now in these times, even this greeting of God's peace can become misunderstood or trampled upon, treated lightly, not regarded as it should be.

And then today we have also gathered in our services remembering the sowing of God's Word. How when we preach God's Word, when we confess our faith, we don't know when and where it will happen, and we don't know what words to say, but yet God's work goes forward when we as children in His kingdom are able to open our mouths and let His words come forth.

And I was thinking first about this matter of sowing God's Word, again remembering the incident which I've related, one of the experiences of which I've related from last summer's trip to Togo and Ghana.

How on that one occasion we were sitting in a remote village on a bench by a ball field, visiting with brothers in faith, those of us who were traveling and those who lived there.

And this man came across the field with a deliberate and intimidating look and approached us to ask who we were and what we were doing there.

And when we explained that we were from faraway lands and we came here to preach God's Word and to visit our brothers and sisters in faith in His land, he told me that, let me give you some advice.

If you want to make an inroad among my people, you must come here and be among them because there are already churches here that are well established.

And I thanked him for his advice and we continued to visit for a little while and then left our way wishing him well and thanking him for the opportunity to be in his village.

But not long after, we learned how he had approached one of those believing brothers still there and asked more about us.

And when he learned that we were in a few days going to be gathered in a different community in his country for a workshop of board members or leaders in the congregations there, he asked if he could come.

And when we received this word, we said, yes, you are welcome to come.

But I didn't believe he would come in my own mind and heart.

But yet, when that day came and we arrived early in the morning at this school where we would conduct our workshop, to my amazement, here he was.

And he took a seat in the front of that room where believing brothers were all gathered for a day to visit about our roles, our work in God's kingdom, serving in the congregations.

And this chief took out a pen and paper and he listened and took notes as we had our devotions and presentations and discussions.

And when I at noontime saw him leave the room, I thought for sure he would be leaving.

And I went to, along with other brothers, to visit with him.

And he then explained to me that I am not a Christian.

But he said, when I became chief in the late 1990s, I decided that I would read the Bible and attend the churches in my community because I feel like I should learn about the faith of my people.

But then he continued to say that I don't agree with them because they do not live as they preach.

He saw them as hypocritical.

But then he said to us who were there gathered, the brothers and me, he said, but I want you to come preach to my people. This is what I want my people to hear.

And so it was touching and clear that here after hearing God's word and the testimony of God's children, there was a message that he had never heard before, different from the other churches he had heard.

And we encouraged him that he too could believe, that faith is personal for each one of us and he could believe and we could and would willingly and lovingly preach the gospel of forgiveness unto him.

But at that moment he only said thank you.

He didn't see that he personally needed forgiveness and this faith.

But he continued through that whole day to attend this gathering of believers.

At the end we again wished him well, thanked him for coming.

And that was the last that I saw him on that trip but always wondered about him.

And on the next trip when our speakers had a mission trip in that land, they went again to that community and they visited this village and they visited this chief in his home.

And at the end of their visit when one of our brothers asked him, do you want to believe your own sins forgiven? He said something to the effect of you know the answer, go to it.

As if to say that don't beat around the bush any longer that he too wants to believe.

And he received the grace of repentance.

And the next trip in December I visited with the brother from our land who was on that mission trip and I asked again, did you see this chief, did you visit this village of Kuma Apeyeme?

And he said yes, we visited and we visited in this man's home, a precious visit.

And now this week I visited again with yet another brother who has just returned a week ago from the most recent trip.

And again this visit of our brothers went to this community for services and they visited in the home of this chief.

Chief Mesu was his name.

And he wanted them to come to his home and he wanted to have services in his home.

In particular he wanted his wife to be present.

And he asked the brothers if they could speak about husbands and wives.

So our brother told me how and when he visited with us during one of our meetings at the office he said that he spoke from the third chapter of Colossians how it speaks of the role of husbands and wives in the relationship to each other.

But this chief had told his wife who had her church in the beginning he had told her that I, you know, that I have never had a church of my own or gone to my own church.

And she said yes, that's very true.

But he said to her now I want you to hear of my faith.

And the brothers then served.

But as the brother serving finished speaking about that portion which applied to husbands, the chief interrupted and he asked his wife to forgive him even though she wasn't yet believing but asked his wife to forgive him for being such a poor husband.

And then the services continued.

By the end of the evening his wife too received the grace of repentance.

And yet what's so touching is that those brothers serving there in that land have said that they've received many calls from this man.

This chief, he calls them and asks them for advice how he should govern or rule in his community among his people.

Here he has served them in this role for many years but as a child of God now he sees things differently and he wants to do that which is right.

And so when these matters, whatever they are, come before him, he asks the believing brothers for advice and counsel how he might handle those various affairs.

And in that area we have visited how God has prepared hearts for the work of his kingdom.

There would be need for so many services but it's amazing to hear when we speak about the sowing of God's word how God prepares the soil.

We as weak servants confess our faith and preach his word but as it says in scriptures that God gives the increase.

So it is true we little and full of doubts sprinkle and do what we do in obedience of faith.

But as we travel from place to place where believers live, we always are wishing to send our greetings.

We remember them and we long to see them, those that live in different places, some that we've never seen, others who we've known and would look forward to seeing again.

And then we have this precious greeting of God's peace one to another.

When Paul began this letter to Romans, we could read how he opened the letter.

He says, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God which he had promised for by his prophets in the holy scriptures concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, by whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name, among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ.

To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sometimes I have thought we were to say or describe what does it mean when we say God's peace.

We could read these verses and say that this is what God's peace means: one who is preciously believing greeting another who is of the same heart, same mind, same spirit, wishing the peace of God that we have in our own hearts as brothers and sisters in faith, as one who has been forgiven and thankful for God's grace and mercy unto another one who also believes the same way and wishing God's blessings unto our brethren in faith.

As Paul says to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints, he doesn't simply say to everyone that is in Rome.

It was a big city, there were many people and many kinds of people and many faiths, but he says called to be saints, the brothers and sisters in faith.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

And as he then continues, Paul says how he thanks God for them.

He's happy that they are his brothers and sisters in faith and that he prays for them always making mention of them in his prayers.

So it's very clear here, and if we were to look at other epistles of Paul in the scripture, we would see that he opens them in the same way greeting them with God's peace but not using only those two words but explaining further what it means.

So for us too, we can think, brothers and sisters, that it isn't a new matter that we have this custom or practice of greeting with God's peace even though the words are a little different and we have an abbreviated or short form of it.

This is what was in the scriptures, what is in the scriptures when Paul wrote to his brethren in faith.

And so then we read most of the last chapter Romans.

He writes a very rich letter of instruction to them.

And we remember that Paul hadn't yet been to Rome when he wrote this letter, I believe, or at least history tells that he was probably in Corinth and there he wrote the letter to the Christians, the believers in Rome.

He longed to be with them, he looked forward to visiting them, but he hadn't yet ever been there when he wrote this letter.

But now at the end, as he wrote this letter, he dictated it and at the end we saw this name Tertius who wrote this epistle.

It says Paul dictated it, Tertius wrote it, committed it to writing, and then this sister Phoebe, it appears, is the actual one who brought it and delivered it to Rome.

So as Paul is writing here to those believers in Rome, he says I commend unto you Phoebe our sister which is a servant of the church which is at Centuria, which was a town, I believe, port city near Corinth, and she was also a worker in the kingdom.

I don't know exactly what her duties, her role may have been other than a sister in faith that was precious to Paul.

So he writes to those Roman believers to receive her as becometh the saints in whatever business that she has before you because she has served and helped many including me.

And then he continues to list many people.

He says to greet Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus, who have for my life laid down their own necks, unto whom not only I give thanks but also all the churches of the Gentiles.

Likewise greet the church that is in their house.

Priscilla and Aquila were husband and wife or wife and husband in this order as it's written who had services in their home.

Paul knew them and loved them and wanted to remember them in his greetings.

And he says to salute or greet would be perhaps the meaning of the word salute as it's recorded here.

Salute my well beloved Epaenetus who is the first fruits of Achaia unto Christ.

And as I was curious who were these people that Paul was remembering in his greeting, this man Epaenetus was believed to be the one who first received the grace of repentance in this area of Achaia.

So he had a special place in Paul's heart, one who first received the grace of repentance in that locality.

God to greet Mary who bestowed much labor on us, another sister who served the work of God's kingdom, who served the believers, not the other Marys but this was Mary of Rome.

And he says to salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen.

These may have even been relatives of Paul and at one time in prison together with him because he says they're my fellow prisoners who are of note among the apostles who also were in Christ before us.

And to greet Amplias, my beloved in the Lord.

And it says Urbanus and Stachys.

Many of these names we don't know much about except that they were remembered warmly and in love by Paul as brothers and sisters in faith.

Apelles, approved in Christ.

Salute them which are of Aristobulus' household.

Here it's interesting that Aristobulus is thought perhaps to be a grandson of Herod but Paul doesn't greet him directly.

He says those which are of his household and it could be that this man wasn't believing but in his house there were family members or servants who were believing.

And so in this way, as we see, Paul makes a very clear distinction of greeting only those who are of the same faith and spirit.

Salute Herodion, my kinsman.

Greet them another one he says of the household Narcissus which are in the Lord.

And then there are these sisters Tryphena and Tryphosa who labor in the Lord and Persis who labored much in the Lord.

And he remembers this Rufus chosen in the Lord and his mother and mine.

I read that Rufus' mother once took care of Paul perhaps as a young boy so he has a special memory here of Rufus and Rufus' mother.

And he continues then to list several other names, saints of God, the same heart, same spirit, brothers and sisters in faith.

And then he says here in the 16th verse, salute one another with a holy kiss.

When we greet each other, brothers and sisters, with God's peace, I know that we get casual.

It's easy sometimes to think that it's just another way of saying hi, hello, how are you.

We get slow to actually shake hands or to say the name of our brother or sister.

But Paul describes that greeting here as a holy kiss.

I think if we think of it in this way, when we greet each other when we first see each other, we're happy to see our brother or sister.

When we say goodbye, we want to wish them well and look forward to the time we can see them again.

If we think of this as a holy kiss when we say God's peace, we may pause and remember that it's much more than hi or goodbye.

Salute one another with a holy kiss.

And then as this portion continues, Paul says to mark those which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them.

For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ but their own belly and by good works and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple people.

We heard this verse during our Bible class the other evening when we were visiting about spiritual storms of times past and false doctrines and heresy.

How there would be some and there are yet today some in false faiths who would greet anyone that would greet them back.

But Paul here so clearly says to mark those which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them.

How important it is that we remember the kingdom of God has borders.

We are either in God's kingdom or not in God's kingdom and we don't want to even extend this greeting to those who are not of the true living faith together with us as brothers and sisters in faith to in some way carry them in a wrong and false spirit.

But oh how we struggle, how timid we are, at least I know that I am.

Why does it seem to be so difficult to greet a brother or sister in faith in front of ones whom we can't greet?

Why is it so difficult to greet a brother or sister in faith when we are in a public place around others at work, at school, or in the store, wherever we may happen to come across them?

Why is it so hard to greet each other even then?

I don't have any answer other than that we carry a sin corrupt portion.

Perhaps we wonder what others will think of us.

We're shy in some fashion.

The enemy of souls would certainly not want us to make the kingdom of God known to others.

But yet how good it would be that in love we greet our brothers and sisters in faith no matter where we come upon them and that with love we also welcome those who aren't with us in faith that may be present.

We can warmly welcome them and acknowledge them even if we can't greet with God's peace but it is a mark that clearly states that we aren't of the same faith.

And this is so important.

If we look at how Paul writes even in his other epistles, he says in the beginning of the first letter to the Corinthians, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours, grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Very clear to whom he is writing and whom he is greeting.

And as he ends that letter, the first letter to the Corinthians, he says the churches of Asia salute you.

Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord with the church that is in their house.

All the brethren greet you.

Greet ye one another with a holy kiss.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Again he says to greet one another with a holy kiss.

But then thinking of this portion written in the second epistle of John, here is written, if there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine.

We could read a couple verses before that.

Look to yourselves that we lose not those things which we have wrought but that we receive a full reward.

Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God.

He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son.

If there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house neither bid him God speed.

He has not the same doctrine.

Don't greet him neither bid him God speed.

For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

So to greet those who are of a different spirit is as if to join with them in that spirit.

And so finally after writing these greetings to all of those who are recipients of the letter, Paul brings greetings from those who are with him as he writes the letter.

He says Timotheus, my work fellow, and Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsman, salute you.

I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.

Gaius, mine host and of the whole church, salute you.

That's whose home he was in when he wrote this letter, my host, he says.

We all greet you.

And Erastus, the chamberlain of the city, understand he was like the public works director there of Corinth, had a city position, an official position.

Erastus, the chamberlain of the city, salute you.

And Quartus, a brother.

Now those all joined in this greeting or giving greetings to the believers in Rome.

And finally he ends, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

So it isn't a new matter, brothers and sisters, that we bring greetings, take greetings, send greetings to each other as we travel from place to place.

And it's a beautiful matter.

Isn't it nice to be remembered by our brothers and sisters in faith?

And when our speakers have returned or we have a visiting speaker here and they bring greetings, it's heartwarming to know that we are remembered and to receive those greetings.

And when we are going to another place to visit the children of God elsewhere, we like to tell them to take our greetings with and deliver them on our behalf because we remember those brothers and sisters there.

And even when we see each other, we freely greet with God's peace, remembering that it's more than hello, goodbye, hi, how are you, but rather a holy kiss that means we who are wanting to endeavor as a child of God, believing our sins forgiven, believing upon the redemption work of Jesus Christ on our behalf, thankful for God's blessings and his mercy unto us, we remember brothers and sisters and greet those who believe in the same way, the same precious faith, having the Holy Spirit and the bond of love which unites all of God's children.

So as we close this evening and this day, brothers and sisters, uplift your hearts to believe all sins forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood and be of good cheer, be at peace knowing that your sins are forgiven.

And if the heavenly Father would end your life, you're ready to meet your Savior with this peace we have joy and can part this evening also greeting our brothers and sisters with the peace of God.

And I ask if I can yet hear that gospel for my own part feeling so sinful and full of doubts may I believe my sins forgiven.

We want to believe with you in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let us close with the Lord's benediction.

The Lord bless us and keep us.

The Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious unto us.

The Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us peace.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.